These Are the Days
by calicosmoak
Summary: A collection of drabbles for Zutara Month 2016. There's no real rhyme or reason amongst these chapters. No tying story. Just a lot of Zutara.
1. Mistletoe

**Day 1 Prompt: Mistletoe**

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Katara hasn't been home in months. Really, she shouldn't even complain about that because it was her choice to begin with to leave. She doesn't regret it either. Every second since leaving home has been full of adventure and laughs with her brother and their two best friends. It's exactly the gap year she had wanted.

Tonight is a different story though, isn't it? It's Christmas Eve and there's no sign of snow anywhere. Of course that's not surprising. She is on a tropical island near the Fire Nation. If it did snow, it would probably be the first sign of the apocalypse. But coming from a country where it snows almost regularly, Sansa misses the cold. She misses the crunching sound her boots make on the white powder. It's not Christmas without the snow. It hardly feels like Christmas at all. Where she's standing, all she really sees are drunk recent graduates like her trying to grasp a little sense of adventure before they have to go to university in the autumn. No one's _really_ celebrating anything.

Even Aang – her perpetually sober friend – is dancing on a table like he's the bell of the ball, but then he doesn't have to drink a drop of alcohol to be that exuberant and friendly. It's just innately who he is. Toph and Sokka, on the other hand, are a table on the beach engaged in some fierce beer pong battle. After the first two games where Toph hustled most of the overly arrogant boys, word quickly spread about the blind girl with a wicked right hand throw. Now, the element of surprise is gone and Katara can hear Toph and Sokka shouting and swearing loudly from where they're stood.

It really isn't Christmas at all.

Katara heaves a great big sigh that verges on being a little melodramatic but she's at point where she doesn't care anymore who hears. She's had enough alcohol to let her emotions run free but not enough to fully break down and cry. So she does the next best thing, she walks further into the crowd, hoping the sheer amount of people and noise will cheer her up.

Forty-five minutes later, she concludes that it in fact does not.

She is just about to head back to her friends when a conversation captures her interest.

"Zuzu, you are such a mood killer," someone snaps irritably.

"Stop calling me that!" another person replies immediately.

 _His_ voice is raspy and deep, equally as pleasurable to listen to as it is intriguing. Katara has always had a soft spot for a nice voice and his is the nicest she's heard in years. But that might be the alcohol talking. Is there such a thing as _beer ears_?

"Well then stop sulking. You're ruining my buzz."

Whoever is speaking to him has a less than pleasurable voice. She sounds infuriatingly haughty and snobby. Katara hopes it's not his girlfriend. She'd hate for someone with such a nice voice to be dating someone with such an awful and grating one.

"I'm leaving."

"So Father can force you to play nice with all those diplomats?"

So they're _related_. Katara is relieved, though she doesn't know why. She can't even see the siblings where she's standing. There is a large group of people in between them. It's already hard enough to focus on their conversation with the music and other conversations filtering through.

"Better than being stuck out here with a bunch of drunks."

"You're no fun!"

"Be home before midnight. After that, you're on your own."

"Ugh, whatever. Bye, Zuzu!"

There's a frustrated groan and the conversation stops. Katara panics for a second, wondering where this boy is headed to, and in a moment of complete tipsy bravado, she begins to push and elbow through the crowd to find him.

Maybe she's just curious to know what he looks like or maybe she finds some comfort in the fact that she's not the only miserable person tonight, but Katara feels it is incredibly imperative she meets this boy tonight.

Only when she emerges from the crowd of festive partiers, she can't really tell which one he is. Even on the more sparsely covered part of the beach, there are too many people to sift through. She supposes it's not meant to be and she's just about to give up when she sees something very peculiar. Right there at the edge of the beach, there's a man in a full tuxedo. Now why would anyone wear a tuxedo in this heat?

 _Unless_ they were just at a party with diplomats.

Katara races across, the sand underneath her feet making it harder for her, but she is determined and curious. Her brother says it's her two most annoying traits. He also adds the word: stubborn.

The boy crosses the empty street and she follows carefully behind him. If she sprints, she can just about reach him, but it's occurring to her now she really doesn't know why she's following him to begin with. What had she planned to do once she did catch up with him? This is utterly absurd. Utterly, utterly absurd.

Except Katara is still following him, and when he enters the most ostentatious hotel she's ever seen, she's _still_ following him.

Immediately, Katara becomes aware of how out of place she is here. Even in the lobby, the guests are all immaculately dressed, just like the boy. Men wore tuxedos and women wore floor-length gowns. Distantly, she wonders how they can stand to wear that in this kind of heat, but she also greatly appreciates it, because here in this stupidly fancy hotel, it _looks_ like Christmas. There are red, green and gold tinsel hanging from the ceilings, and just beyond the foyer to the open ballroom, Katara can see even more Christmas-themed decorations.

"Wow," she breathes.

"I think it's much in my opinion but they do serve _excellent_ tea."

Katara jumps back in shock. The rotund man standing beside her has his hands resting over his belly. He smiles kindly at her.

"I do apologise if I frightened you, dear."

"Oh no, I… I just… Um…"

To say Katara is floundering is probably an understatement. She doesn't know how to explain her presence here, or why she's dressed in little denim shorts and a blue strappy tank as opposed to an evening gown. Clearly she doesn't belong.

But instead of demanding she leave, the man touches her shoulder gently. "Are you quite well? You look flushed. Come. We'll get you a glass of water to cool you down."

Katara only nods and follows him as he leads her straight into the ballroom. In her alcohol-fuelled mind, she thinks the entire room has turned to stare at her, but whether they do or not, the man doesn't seem to notice. He merely leads her from the entrance all the way towards the refreshments table where glasses of various liquids are being served in crystal glasses.

Before he can reach the table however he suddenly stops with undisguised glee.

"Zuko! There you are!"

A tall boy turns around and amber eyes meet hers instantly. Katara feels a different kind of flush warming her body now and she wonders if she is as red as she feels she is, because this boy is _hot_. Even with a sizeable scar marring the left side of his face, he is undeniably one of the handsomest boys she's ever seen.

"Uncle," the boy looks at the man beside Katara with a respectful nod. Something in his voice piques her curiosity and she involuntarily leans forward. _Speak again_ , she urges.

"I thought Azula would have roped you away by now," the man laughs. "It is good you're here though. This young lady is in dire need of refreshment but I fear Admiral Jin is waving me over. You know how gets, so if you don't mind, Zuko."

"Wait, Uncle, but –"

It's too late because the man has already rushed away. For someone his age and size, he moves awfully fast. Katara blushes even more furiously at his lack of subtlety.

"Are you going to faint?" he asks, more like snaps at her.

Katara shakes her head but her brows are creased forward at his tone. He better watch himself.

"You look like you're going to faint," this boy named Zuko says. "I guess you better follow me then."

She's about to tell him she can _see_ the refreshments table and she doesn't need an irate babysitter – even though she is following him obediently – when suddenly she realises why his voice sounded so familiar.

" _Zuzu!_ "

The boy stops, and Katara tumbles into his back.

"Hey, warn someone before you suddenly just decide to –"

Zuko turns back to face her again. " _What_ did you just call me?"

"Uh…"

His eyes narrow and the ambers now look more like molten gold. It's wonderfully beautiful; somewhat threatening but beautiful. "Who are you!"

"Katara," she says with a little ire in her voice. She _knows_ she's the one that stalked him but honestly, he doesn't have to be such a jerk about it.

"How do you – why did you call me that?" Zuko asks, even more irritable than he was a second ago. It hardly seemed possible but this boy really is quite the sulker. Maybe Katara should've followed his haughty sister.

"I heard it," Katara shrugs as if the answer is perfectly reasonable.

Thankfully, Zuko seems to buy it because he nods. Before he can lead her towards the refreshments table, a _very_ inebriated man slaps Zuko on the shoulder and shouts over his shoulder as he walks away.

"Mistletoe, cousin! You know the drill!"

Zuko's irritated scowl immediately evolves into one of surprise and embarrassment. Pink tinges his good cheek, making Katara smile in spite of herself.

"Why are _you_ smiling? Did you do this?"

"Do what?" Katara asks, confused. He gestures above her and she looks up to see the pretty plant wrapped in a red bow hanging directly above them. She returns her gaze back onto Zuko and scowls. "You think I did _that_ to kiss _you_?"

"I don't know," Zuko shrugs. "I don't even know you."

"Yeah but… I mean… how arrogant do you have to be to think that!"

"Hey, I'm not the one showing up in next to nothing at an evening gala, calling people by their family nicknames!"

"I'm not in next to nothing!" Katara exclaims indignantly. She doesn't know why _that_ is the thing she focuses on but it feels important.

"You might as well be," Zuko retorts back, but his eyes drift down her legs before coming back to her eyes, and the whole second it takes for him to do that, Katara _does_ feel like she is wearing next to nothing. He doesn't even seem to realise he did it either. That infuriates her more.

"Why are you such a jerk!" she says angrily, and before she can stop herself, the frustration from tonight comes tumbling out. "All I wanted was to spend Christmas Eve with my friends, okay? I'm not here to capture you in some elaborate ploy to kiss you. I just wanted a nice evening where it actually _feels_ like Christmas but I can't even have that! All my friends want to do is go party on the beach but that's not really Christmassy, is it? I mean do they even care about what _I_ want? No, because I'm here and they're there and I doubt they've even noticed I left."

Zuko looks even more shocked now than he did when he realised they are standing underneath the mistletoe. He seems to be considering something for a second before he sighs, carding his fingers through his thick black hair.

"I'm sorry. I guess I've had a shit night too. I shouldn't have taken it out on you though."

"You're right. You shouldn't have," Katara says with a firm nod, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Can we start over?" he asks. When she shrugs, he offers her his hand. "Hi. My name's Zuko."

Katara stares at his hand for a second before taking it in hers, shaking. She's surprised to find how calloused it is. "I'm Katara."

"You know, Katara, we're standing under mistletoe right now," Zuko says with a twitch of a smile.

"Is that so?" she says, arms still crossed over her chest.

"Yeah," he nods. "My uncle… um, well he says it's bad luck if we don't follow through with tradition. But I don't really believe in superstition."

"I don't either."

"Right…"

"But uh… it can't hurt, can it? To follow through with tradition and all."

Zuko's eyes widen imperceptibly, before a slow smirk settles on his face. "I guess not."

For a second, neither of them does or say anything else. Katara thinks he's not going to do it but then he's stepping towards her and her breath catches in her throat. She becomes all too aware of her tongue and her limbs, and she really has no idea what to do with her hands right now. Panic rises like a steady steam from the pit of her stomach to her esophagus, but the moment his hand reaches out to curl around her waist, Katara loses the ability to think altogether.

His touch is warm, _too_ warm for this disgusting heat. She wants to push him away because she feels even more faint than she did before. Only he's moving in closer and Katara finds herself meeting his movement inch by inch.

When his hand cups the back of her neck and his lips _finally_ meet hers, Katara whimpers into his mouth, her own arms coming around to wrap around his neck. It doesn't occur to her to slow down. It doesn't occur to her that he is a _stranger_ and they're standing at the edge of a very extravagant Christmas party. It doesn't seem to occur to him either by the way his lips are moving hungrily against hers.

Frankly, Katara doesn't care.

Or she didn't until they both heard loud coughing nearby and sprang apart as if someone took a torch and struck it in between them.

"Um…" he says awkwardly.

Maybe it's the alcohol talking or maybe Zuko's just that intoxicating but she gives him a lopsided smile and asks, "do you want to go for a walk with me?"

When he flashes an equally goofy grin back at her and says yes, Katara thinks this is the best Christmas she's ever had.

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 **A/N:** I hope you guys enjoyed that! It's my first time joining Zutara Month and I'm so so excited. Please comment if you have the time. Otherwise, thank you so so much for reading! 3


	2. Eve

Zuko has always been proud of Fire Nation traditions. In the five years since the end of the war, his pride has only grown with each passing treaty between his nation and the other three. It hasn't been easy. Hundred-year long prejudices aren't simply plucked overnight because Fire Lord Ozai's reign has ended. Distrust for the Fire Nation still runs rampant to this day but had reached a culminating peak of hostility directly after Zuko's coronation. Even amongst his people, there has been mistrust. Being the progeny of Ozai and the blood sibling of Azula only made people, _rightly_ , wonder if he might not fall down similar darkened paths. It isn't a fear that strays far from his own mind either. His uncle's words still ring in his ear after all these years:

" _Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is in your nature, your legacy._ "

But Zuko's firm, unfailing belief in the tradition and strength of his people compel him to stand tall with his head held high. Beneath the destruction, beneath all the rubble left behind a war that went on for far too long, are a people who revere honour. People who believe in equality. For them, Zuko is willing to tide over the arguments, the tedious meetings and obstinate talks with diplomats and advisors, if only to bring a small amount of peace back to his nation.

Slowly, piece by piece, the Fire Nation has begun to regain its footing in the world. Soldiers have returned home to their families. Fallen, neglected districts have been rebuilt and new jobs are being created on the daily. Even the infuriating disputes over colonised lands have for the most part been met with less strain and animosity than they had been at the start.

Things are finally beginning to feel _right_ again. Even the traditional Fire Nation Festival has started its travels around the country again, and although it has no further need to stray beyond their islands, the festival still attracts tourists from all over. It speaks more highly of the progress with which they have all come to than the diplomatic talks Zuko attends every couple of months.

Needless to say, Zuko is proud, and he will always have the utmost respect for their traditions and ways of life.

But with all things, there are exceptions. In particular, Zuko has one very _simple_ exception that has his teeth on edge, fingers flexing tightly at his sides trying to stem the fire threatening to burst free, as if he is still the thirteen-year-old banished prince.

"Fire Sage Shyu," Zuko warns with a steely glint of amber eyes. "I assure you this is not necessary."

"I apologise, your majesty." The older man bows his head. "But it is tradition. To break it would bear a lifetime of ill fortune upon you and your family."

Zuki pinches the bridge of his nose. As Fire Lord, he has learnt to keep his temper contained until he is in the privacy of his own suites, or at the very least engaged in his daily sparring practice. It is a well-learned trait that has made him a more respectable figure amongst his people and foreign dignitaries. A lapse in judgement on his part can cause irrevocable damage to his reputation as a leader. With that in mind, Zuko is finding it increasingly difficult to reign in his irritation. He has known for some time this might come up but he had hoped for a day, not a _week_. That is too long; far too long for his liking.

"Surely there is no need for such a lengthy separation," Zuko tries again, but the serious, unflinching look upon the old man's face tells him it is to no avail. "Will I at least get to say goodbye before you and the Fire Sages inflict this archaic tradition on us?"

"I am afraid, your majesty, that our plans have already been put into action." Fire Sage Shyu has the decency to lower his gaze, a faint hint of remorse behind yellow eyes. Zuko is about to verbally berate the older man when he speaks again, softly now, as if there are ears pressed up against the door to the Fire Lord's private study. "But I hear there has been a delay with the palanquin. It is truly unfortunate for they have barely reached the plaza."

Without a single word to the Fire Sage, Zuko has pushed open the door to his study and raced down the corridors in a manner most unfitting his title, but a voice in the back of his mind that sounds vaguely like his uncle says that when she's concerned, he has never acted reasonably.

Servants and guards gawk at their Fire Lord as tendrils of black hair loosen from his top knot, whipping against his face. The heavy formal robes of the Fire Lord is a weight Zuko desperately wants to discard, only for the sake of moving faster, but even in his flustered state, he still has some semblance of control over his propriety.

Just as he reaches the gates to the palace, he sees it. The red and gold palanquin is set to one side as several royal guards try to fix the broken ornamental peak of the palanquin's roof. Her dark hair is billowing behind her in a gentle breeze, a deep frown settled on her dark skin. Zuko calls her name and blue eyes snap to his in an instant. A soft sigh escapes his lip, and he distantly wonders if he will ever tire of the way a simple look from her can send his blood burning like lava in his veins. He desperately hopes not.

"Zuko, what are you doing here?" Her tone is relieved but no less confused. She still wraps her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly, when he stops in front of her.

"I came to say goodbye," Zuko says, voice muffled by the positioning of his head in the soft curls of her hair. Lifting his lips only slightly, he murmurs in her ear. "The night before we wed, the Fire Nation Festival will begin their tour of Caldera City."

She chuckles into him. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting? Should we not respect your nation's traditions?"

"If you think I can survive without seeing you for a week then you perhaps do not know me at all, waterbender."

Katara angles her head and places an openmouthed kiss to the hollow of his neck, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Zuko. She exhales softly against his skin as she says, "oh, I know you better than you know yourself."

"Is that so?" Though she cannot see, Zuko's lips twitch upwards into a characteristic smirk. "Then on the eve of our wedding, meet me where the stars shine the brightest."

A strangled cough breaks their embrace. It would seem the guards have managed to fix the broken palanquin and are now urging Katara back into its confines. Where they're taking her is a secret, and even as Fire Lord, Zuko knows better than to ask, but before she steps fully away from him, Katara presses her lips against him. It's quick, and from an outside glance, would look like nothing more than a besotted woman bidding her betrothed a hasty goodbye. But the pressure in which Katara presses against him, her body flushed to his chest so that he could feel every curve and line of her body, Zuko knows it's much more than a goodbye kiss; it's a promise.

The rest of the week passes by in an agonisingly slow procession of meetings and preparations. It only grows more weary when the guests start to arrive a couple days before the wedding. Zuko's patience runs even thinner than normal without Katara by his side. She is the reason he has learnt it at all. In fact, the headstrong ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe is why the Fire Nation has flourished in recent years. It is the reason why the Fire Sages have been so accommodating to a foreign future Fire Lady. Her wisdom and insight has been crucial to the rebuilding of their country, and Katara's frequent, almost daily visits into the city to speak to the people has endeared her to the masses.

But while Zuko loves her for all of those traits as well, it's her impact on _him_ that makes her invaluable. She challenges him, in more ways than one. Through her, Zuko has learned to accept and broaden his views of the world, more than they have already been during the war, and it is through her, Zuko has learned the true meaning of friendship, partnership, and _love_. Quite simply put, without her, he is also without a vital, necessary part of himself.

So it is the thought of seeing her, even if for just one short moment, before the chaos of their wedding day that keeps Zuko from lashing out. Even when Sokka shows up in his private study to sit him down for a _stern_ talking to about his intentions towards Katara, Zuko doesn't even fling the water tribe man into the wall. It apparently means nothing to Sokka that Zuko and Katara have been practically _living_ together for the past two years, but then he supposes that aside from his personal staff, no one really knows about that. Katara still has her own suite down in the guest wing but since they started dating, Zuko can't remember her ever sleeping there.

Aside from that one time they couldn't get to the royal wing fast enough… their clothes lying discarded like a trail of crumbs on the floor… her hot mouth on the underside of his jaw… her body pressed underneath him…

Zuko shifts uncomfortably in his seat and stares ahead with as much control as he can muster. This is the longest they have gone without being with each other. He is certainly feeling the repercussions of her absence in his bed.

"Wow, Sparky, you getting cold feet or something? Your heart is beating like buzzard wasp." The earthbender is looking to the right of Zuko's face and there is an undisguised quirk of amusement on her lips. She may not be able to see his scowl but he does not doubt she can feel it.

"Cold feet? You better not get cold feet! That's my sister! If you leave her at the altar, I swear I'll–"

"I assure you, Sokka," Zuko says with a warning growl. "I have no intention of leaving your sister now or ever."

"Well, good. You better not." Sokka's shoulders slump, the fight leaving him, and in its place an awkward sheepish smile. His wife sighs wearily beside the man, her hands pressed protectively around her rounded belly. Zuko had been flabbergasted at first to see how far along Suki is but the more he is around her company, the more he can't stop himself from imagining Katara in a similar state. She would be a great mother.

Finally, the dinner winds to an end. They have been diligently dividing their time between Katara and him, and are thankfully too tired for any nighttime recaps. As Zuko bids his friends goodnight, he heads back to his bed chambers. Now that it is the eve of his wedding, Zuko quickly dresses himself in the familiar black garb. The Fire Nation Festival began their first day of entertainment today, and just as Zuko had suspected, the entire palace was abuzz with activity and excitement. It is the perfect time, the _only_ time he's had this week, to slip out with his Blue Spirit mask on, unseen by the guards or servants. It isn't normally this hard but the Fire Sages having, _rightfully_ , suspected Zuko and Katara might try something like this have placed nearly round-the-clock surveillance on the couple. At least on Zuko's end, he has been unable to find a moment's peace outside his own chambers. Thankfully, tonight there are enough distractions to allow him to slip out into the city unseen.

He lithely moves from roof to roof, hidden in the shadows. It does not take him too long to reach the parapet of a religious temple. Dropping down, Zuko smiles beneath his mask.

"You're late." She is faced away from him, her hands placed firmly on the wall. She is similarly dressed in black garb, and though he can't see her face, he suspects there's red paint around her eyes. His Painted Lady.

"Our friends talk too much but I'll get rid of them tomorrow," Zuko says with his slight smirk, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her so her back is leaning against his chest. He breathes in her wonderful scent: a mixture of sea salt and soap. She chuckles against his chest and places her hands over where his lie just flat on her abdomen. Zuko kisses her shoulder and sighs against her. "I've missed you."

"I know. I've missed you too," she says, mirroring his sigh with one of her own. "If you weren't Fire Lord, I would've suggested we just elope."

"If I wasn't Fire Lord, I would've proposed two years ago."

Katara chuckles again. She then turns in his arms so she's looking up at him. With a quick flick of her wrist, the mask clatters onto the ground. "I've missed this face," she says quietly, gentle fingers tracing his scar. She leans up and presses a quick kiss to his lips. "I've missed those lips."

Zuko sighs again but the sound is content, happy, _elated_. He wraps her tightly against his chest and returns his lips back down on hers with a little more intent behind his movements. When he pulls back, they're both breathing a little harder. "I've missed something else."

"Oh yeah?" Katara asks with a knowing smirk of her own.

"Yeah."

Zuko deftly runs his fingers down her back to the hem of her tunic. He kisses her again while his hands dip underneath and feel her cool skin beneath his palms. She is far too intoxicating for this to be an innocent rendezvous, and though he might not agree with being separated from his betrothed for an entire week prior to their wedding, Zuko still respects Fire Nation traditions. So it is with great reluctance that he does pull back and leave a gap between their bodies that wasn't there before.

"I should go," he says with no small amount of anguish and frustration in his voice. "Any longer and Fire Sage Shyu might send the royal army after us."

"Hmm," Katara agrees with a disappointed murmur. "But tomorrow night, Fire Lord Zuko, you're mine." She fingers the collar of his tunic and tugs gently, a slow burning heat in her gaze that has him debating whether or not he should just forego tradition altogether. " _All mine_."

"I hope that's a promise, Fire Lady Katara."

Katara smirks, and then with swift movements, she jumps down onto an adjacent roof, disappearing into the shadows.

A swell of pride grows in his chest as he stares after her. Tomorrow, that beautiful, strong, kind-hearted minx will be his wife. Agni, what did he ever do to deserve her?


	3. A New Year

**A/N:** This is set three years prior to the "Day 2: Eve" one shot. No need to read that before hand, though I don't know how you've managed not to read it if you're on this chapter but hey ho, reading anything I write at all is so flattering so you do you!

Anyway, this prompt is A New Year.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Two years have passed since the war's end. In that time, Katara has found life to be far from quiet and peaceful, but there are significantly less threats on the lives of her and her loved ones so she can hardly complain too much. It is still not an _easy_ life. Just because the war has ended does not mean peace came swiftly and easily to the four nations. Hate still lingers in the air like the morning mist; encompassing, unyielding and blinding. Katara doesn't blame the residual distrust the three nations still hold for the Fire Nation, or the animosity, or even the yearning for vengeance. But Katara has tasted vengeance, had wanted to enact it in the worst way possible, and she knows it isn't the way. For the world to move forward, they all have to let go of the past. No matter how difficult it is, it is the only way all four nations will ever live in peace.

It is the only way Katara will ever live in peace.

Her past is less tragic than the world's but it is no less painful for her to think upon. Then matters of the heart never are. She doesn't know how she let it happen anyways, how everything that had once seemed so simple could be so upturned in a way that made her body wrench in anguish, but Katara had made her choice. She could not in good conscience allow herself to be swept away in a romance with Aang simply because he is the Avatar and deserves all the good this world can offer him. She owes him her loyalty, her life, her friendship, but she does not owe him her heart.

Mirthlessly, Katara thinks it isn't even hers to give away anymore.

Declining Aang's invitation to travel the world, Katara had returned to the South Pole. As much as she was sure the world needed her so too did her people, and it had been too long since she's been home. Katara owed it to herself to return and rebuild her tribe back one piece at a time. That was two years ago. Now, between Chief Hakoda's leadership, Katara's bending and Sokka's ingenuity, the Southern Water Tribe has been flourishing more and more with each passing day. The renegotiated trade routes with the other three nations have helped tremendously in bringing wealth and prosperity to her people, and Katara owes a great deal of thanks to the one person she refuses to see.

But that's the thing, isn't it? Avoidance can only last so long. Where the others have visited the Fire Nation multiple times since his coronation two years ago, Katara has made excuses after excuses, citing a burst piping system here or a village epidemic there, _anything_ to keep away from Zuko. It hurts her to have to do it. As much as it has always pained her to be away from him for too long – a pain in which she had once attributed to her hatred of him – she can't see him. Selfishly, Katara just can't bear to visit him and see for herself how happy he is with Mai. The few times she did over the years have been enough to rip a new seam from her weakly sewn together heart. It's pathetic, she knows, and as a master waterbender and his _friend_ , Katara should just move on. She should just get over whatever it is she's feeling and find a way to be around him again, but she's established years ago that she's too selfish to do that. Not when he still owns every single aching part of her, and certainly not when the mere sight of him has her element surging forward unbidden.

It is a surprise actually that the others haven't caught onto her feelings, but she supposes her frequent appearances at diplomatic talks with the Fire Nation and consequently Zuko have been enough to quell their suspicions. It is a universally acknowledged that Katara is dedicated to her job in the Southern Water Tribe, so they don't really question her when she says she has too much to do for more than those visits. And from the snippets of conversations she overhears from Sokka and her friends, Zuko seems to be the same way. She doesn't let herself hear too much though. Even just the mention of him is too tantalising for Katara.

Except Katara hasn't seen him in over a year. Somehow in the chaos of a rebellion faction discovered on the coast of the Fire Nation, Zuko has had very little time for his friends. Only Aang and Toph have been to see him, and that's only because they've been helping him with the rebels. Katara is desperate to go herself. She knows the past two years haven't been easy on Zuko. Those diplomatic talks she attends are enough to confirm her suspicions, and she is trying her hardest on her end to help the other nations see reason. The Southern Water Tribe at least has found some kind of truce with the Fire Nation. It is not necessarily trust but it's an alliance. It's the other two nations that are giving Zuko the hardest time, and if she isn't a well-respected representative from her tribe, she would freeze those greasy diplomats in their seats every time they talk back to Zuko before he even has a chance to speak.

But she has her own ways of helping. Katara might not seem like his friend anymore on the outside but she hasn't given up on him. It's the only reason she continues to invite foreign dignitaries to the Southern Water Tribe and shmooze them with the finest arctic wine and seal meat. When they're good and placated, Katara begins her own version of diplomatic talks, pushing them to see reason with whatever deal or treaty they're currently negotiating with the Fire Nation. It's her way of helping when she can't physically be there for him.

Of course, everything is temporary, and as the Capital Harbour looms closer, Katara can't help wondering if Zuko will even be happy to see her. He doesn't know what she's been doing for him – not that she has any intention of telling him anyways – so surely he must think of her as a lousy friend, if even that anymore.

The gates open as soon as the Southern Water Tribe vessel nears. Although the war has ended, the two ballista towers that sit on either side are terrifying up close. Each tower is heavily armed with enough firepower to take down several of their cutter sailing ships simultaneously. It's unfounded to be so nervous but two years is not enough time even for Katara to feel totally at ease in the Fire Nation. By the grim looks on the men around her, she's not the only one.

"Why does it feel like we're all bracing ourselves for war?"

Katara doesn't turn towards her brother's voice; she just smiles. "Because in a way, we are."

"You're probably right." Sokka snorts, and then swings his arm around Katara's shoulder. "But hey, we'll all be there together this time. If any of those old cranky men decide to start another argument tonight, we've got each other's backs. Right?"

The tagged on question at the end winds Katara's nerves in tighter. Her brother's a fool at the best of times but the doubt so obvious in his voice makes her want to toss him over the side of the ship. How could he even think she'd abandon them?

"Of course, Sokka."

Satisfied, her brother leaves her to attend to something one of the men had whispered in his ear. She's too busy staring at the harbour to pay much attention now. She knows he's there. It's almost as if she can _feel_ him standing at the docks waiting for them to arrive, and she wants to flee back home because of it. Katara has faced Azula; why can't she face the crazy firebender's much less crazy, much more handsome, much more kind and compassionate and heroic brother?

 _Because you love him. Because you've been in love with him for over two years._

Katara grips the edge of the ship and growls at nothing. There's no one to focus her ire on but herself. This is her doing after all. Maybe if she had fessed up to her feelings all those years ago, she'd be… _What, Katara? Be what? His girlfriend? You really think he'd choose you over Mai?_ Another low growl emits from her lips and she whips around to find something to do, anything to keep her mind distracted.

When they arrive at the harbour, he _is_ there. He hugs Sokka and bows cordially at Katara. The obvious hesitance and subsequent awkwardness is so thick in the air, she wants to cry and fling her arms around him, telling him everything that's been happening for the past two years. But Katara is an adult now. At eighteen, she can't act on her emotions anymore. She has a reputation to uphold and a tribe to make proud. It doesn't stop her from looking though. Zuko is a twenty-year-old man now, whose appeal has only grown with age, whose body has only broadened with dedicated training and exercise. How she has dreamt of running her hands across those shoulders, down his back to his hips where –

"Katara!"

"Huh?" She looks up to find Sokka staring curiously at her. "What?"

"We were wondering if you wanted to go explore the city with us before the New Year's Eve party. Aang and Toph are already waiting at the palace."

Zuko is in the palanquin ahead of them, and she wonders if he's going too. As if Sokka can read her mind, he answers her unvoiced question.

"Zuko has to wait for other honoured guests to arrive so he won't be joining us."

Katara nods and returns her attention back to the passing city. "I think I'm just going to wash up and maybe have a nap. I'm a little worn out from the journey."

Sokka shrugs. "Suit yourself."

In the end, Katara sleeps through most of the day. By the time she wakes, Yue is already at her peak in the sky. She can feel the warmth and energy emanating from the moon, and she draws from its bottomless power to give her courage. It's only one party. That's all she has to get through tonight. Everyone will be there so it's not like she has to spend any real time alone with Zuko. Maybe she won't even have to see him with his girlfriend. It's a hopeless wish but she clings to it as she dresses herself in a blue one-sleeved top and a matching floor-length skirt. It is similar to the Fire Nation disguise she had worn so many years ago, and she had sewn it on purpose in this fashion. It's to honour him, even in some small way.

"Nice nap, Sugar Queen?" Toph asks, greeting her with a playful, yet still painful, punch to the shoulder, as soon as she exists her suite.

Katara winces. "Yeah. I must have been more tired than I thought."

"Tired," Toph repeats with an amused snort. "Sure. _That's_ what it is."

"That _is_ what it is," Katara says defensively, not sure why her friend sounds so disbelieving.

As the two walk to the main hall where the party is being held, Katara notices the master earthbender has been wrangled into a dress herself. Before she can comment on it, Toph speaks again. "Are you sure you're not just avoiding a certain Fire Lord Hotpants?"

Katara jerks to a stop, a blush radiating from her neck to her cheeks. " _What_?"

"Relax, no one else knows," Toph shrugs, and continues walking. "But it's been years, Sugar Queen. Ain't it about time you either get over it or kiss the topknot off of him?"

They've now reached the party and Katara quickly grabs hold of Toph's wrist. "Please," she whispers urgently and desperately. "Don't tell anyone. I can't… He has someone else and I just can't do that to him. Please, Toph, promise me."

"Yeah, yeah, I promise," her friend sighs. "But you should know that –"

"Katara!" A whoosh of air nearly knocks both the waterbender and earthbender over as Aang comes riding on an air scooter towards them. "Boy, you should've come with us into the city! There was this fire juggler and he was throwing these balls of fire; it was _so_ cool! He even taught me how to do it. Wanna see?"

"Uh, maybe later, Aang." Katara smiles kindly at her friend before pulling him into a hug. Thankfully her rejection has not totally ruined their friendship. A bit of distance went a long way for them, and after a year or so, Aang finally moved on from her. It is a relief to say the least.

A couple of drinks and several _long_ chats with foreign diplomats and Fire Nation nobles later, Katara is beginning to think she's not the only one trying to avoid the other. She has barely seen Zuko all evening, and every time she feels him nearby, she turns and he's gone. She's even seen Mai more times than her boyfriend, and frankly, it hurts. Katara knows it shouldn't because she's doing the same to him, but it still hurts. It's always hurt her to be away from him but the pain seems to feel even more poignant now she knows he's actually within reach. Somehow in the South Pole, Katara can convince herself it doesn't hurt that much, but here in the Fire Nation, everywhere she turns she sees him. He's in the typical golden eyes of his people, in the crimson and gold decorations of the hall, in the mischevious smile of his Uncle Iroh. All of it reminds her so aggravatingly of Zuko that by the time everyone's gathered to count down the minutes to the new year, Katara has to leave. She can't breathe anymore in this place, and to ring in the new year while her heart is breaking in her chest is not something even Katara can brave through.

Swiftly moving through the throng of people, Katara finds herself backing along the shadows at the edge of the hall until she feels a door behind her fingers. While her eyes remain fixed on the crowd, she turns the doorknob and push through, slipping out into the cool evening air.

"Katara?"

She jumps, startled nearly out of her skin by the sound of his voice. She doesn't want to turn but she forces herself to, knowing it's too late to retreat back into the party. He's standing there, leaning against the railing, golden eyes watching her. "Hi," she offers weakly. "What are you doing out here?"

His eyes narrow and he exhales heavily. "I hate parties."

This makes her laugh despite everything. Katara slowly walks up to him and stands a good foot away at the railing, turning her face up towards the moon. "Me too."

For awhile, neither say anything, but she knows the question is coming, and though she has braced herself for it, she still falters when he asks her.

"Do you hate me?"

Katara sighs and absentmindedly plays with the beads in her hair. "No, Zuko, I don't hate you."

"Then why have you been avoiding me? Everyone else has come to see me over the years but you… I _never_ get to see you, Katara."

"I…" She doesn't know what to say. She doesn't think she has any right to say it. "I don't think you'll like my answer."

Zuko turns fully to face her now, drawing her own eyes away from Yue to look into his. His face is grave, serious and determined. "Try me."

This is not the way she wanted to ring in the new year either but she doesn't have a choice anymore. This has gone on for far too long, and Zuko deserves an explanation. "Do you remember the night after Yon Rah?"

Zuko's brows furrow in confusion. "Yeah. What does this have to do with –"

"You sat with me, just in silence," Katara says, cutting him off. "You never judged me. You never asked how I was. You just sat there and let me come to grips with everything in my own time. I think that's when it happened."

"When what happened?" Zuko asks. He's now closer than he was a second ago, and his proximity has only intensified her speeding heart.

Katara squeezes her eyes shut. She doesn't want to look into his eyes when she says this. She doesn't want to see his reaction. "When I fell in love with you." When she hears nothing, no sign he even heard her, the words come tumbling out before she can stop herself. "At first I didn't know. I've never been in love before so I didn't know what I was feeling, and at the time, I thought I loved Aang. It was just so confusing – all these feelings so at odds with each other. But then you threw yourself in front of Azula's lightning for me and in those brief minutes after when I thought you died, I realised I didn't want to live in a world where you didn't exist. It was the most horrid feeling and I hated your sister for what she did! I wanted to kill her. I wanted to hurt her more than I wanted to hurt Yon Rah and that terrified me."

Tears slip from her eyes but she keeps them shut, still too scared to look at him.

"I planned to tell you after your coronation but I had to speak to Aang first and by the time that was over, you were back together with Mai. You seemed so happy and I didn't want to… I couldn't make your life more difficult, so I went home and threw myself into the work there."

A gentle finger wipes at her cheeks and Katara's eyes flutter open. He's watching her again with that confused furrow between his brows. "But you never came to see me…"

"I couldn't bear to be around you and Mai. It hurt too much," she admits with her head bowed low in shame. "It's selfish, I know, and I'm so sorry, Zuko. I'm sorry I've ruined everything. I know you probably hate me now and –"

"Katara, look at me," he rasps out, but when she doesn't, his finger drops from her cheek to her chin, tilting her head so she has to look up at him. "How can I hate you when you're the reason behind some of the Fire Nation's most successful negotiations?"

"How do you know about that!"

Zuko laughs and steps even closer towards her. "After the fifth diplomat came to me with a change of heart, I had to ask. Apparently they've all been bullied by a waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe to, and I quote, stop acting like a bunch of polar bear pups and actually do something good for once."

Katara blushes. "I just… I don't like that they try to take advantage of you because you're young, or because your country has committed wrongs in the past."

Zuko opens his mouth to say something else but the sound of cheering in the background has him glancing towards the city just as a plume of red and gold and orange erupt across the inky sky. Katara too becomes enraptured by the sight – so much so that she forgets for a moment that she has just confessed to the Fire Lord that she's in love with him. And for a while, the two old friends stand side by side to take in the sight of another year of (hard-earned) peace.

"You're an idiot, you know that, waterbender?"

"Excuse me!" Katara's eyes snap back to his, glowering. She may be in love with the man but she doesn't take to being insulted very well, even if she _is_ an idiot.

"But then I'm an idiot too," Zuko says with a laugh. Before she can ask him what he's talking about, his hands are cupping either side of her face and his lips meet hers in a way that has her stumbling into his chest, fingers fisting into his tunic. But then Zuko is pulling back all too quickly and she has to stifle a whimper of protest at the sudden lack of contact.

"Happy new year, Katara."

She's about to murmur a similar, dazed, sentiment back when something occurs to her. "But wait, Mai! Zuko, I–" Maybe she really is an idiot for bringing up his girlfriend at a time like this but Katara is not a cheater. She won't be the other woman, no matter how much she wants his lips back on hers.

"We broke up nearly a year ago now," Zuko interrupts.

"You did? How come no one told me?"

"Maybe you would've known that if you actually came to see me."

He has a point, which is probably why she chuckles and grips his tunic even tighter, tugging him back down for another toe-curling kiss. His hands then gravitate to the back of her head. One is placed just by the nape of her neck while the other is trailing heat down her back.

He pulls away and buries his nose against the crook of her neck, his breaths coming fast and hot on her bare skin. "And it was the Western Air Temple for me," Zuko whispers, leaning up to drop kisses along the sensitive skin below her ear.

She doesn't know how she manages it considering how her whole body is thrumming as if Azula's lightning has seared through her skin, but she asks in a voice still laced with desire and euphoria. "What are you talking about?"

"When I fell in love with you. That's when I realised it."


	4. Fireplace

**A/N:** This has nothing to do with the Eve or A New Year one shot. Just a random drabble. Prompt is Fireplace.

* * *

That's it. Zuko hates her. He officially hates the waterbending peasant more than he hates the image of his uncle in a hot spring, and if his honour hadn't dictated him not to, he would've left her with those damned pirates two days ago.

"Will you _shut up_!" he shouts. Since he produced his first flame so many years ago, Zuko has never had problems with something as simple as lighting a fire before, but with her jabbering on and on, he can barely make the fireplace burn enough to provide any warmth. "You are driving me crazy!"

"Because being with you is such a picnic, huh?" she shouts back, equally as angry and frustrated as he is.

"Then leave!"

Zuko is on his feet now, and where he was struggling just moments ago, the fireplace is now roaring with flickering flames nearly as tall as him. He doesn't miss the startled jump back from the waterbender nor does he miss the way she flinches away from the flames. For that brief second, he's overcome with shame and guilt. He knows better than anyone the terrifying powers of his element and he didn't want to scare her. He was – _is_ – just so frustrated with their situation.

"I would…" Katara snaps after recovering from the initial shock. "But I…" Something in her voice changes then and it's another thing Zuko notices without having to listen too intently. It's as if two days of travelling through a forest with the waterbender has made him in tune with every nuance of her movements and voice. That is altogether far too unnerving for him to even contemplate, but he watches as she sighs and glances away from him. "I don't know where my friends are. I don't even know if I'll ever see them again."

This time, Zuko sighs and he cards his fingers through his hair in frustration. "You will." Blue eyes flicker back to his, a mixture of wariness and hope in conflict with one another. "If you think I want to spend any more time with you then you're sorely mistaken, waterbender."

Katara huffs and crosses her arms across her chest. "Jerk."

"Peasant."

She looks away again but the fire casts her face in light and he sees the tilt of a smile there that comes unbidden. He turns his own face away when he feels a similar twitch of his lips.

They sit in silence for some time. The ramshackle house is freezing and does nothing to keep the descending temperature out, but at least the four somewhat sturdy walls helps with the whistling wind. It's the first stroke of luck they've had in two days, and just in time for the storm too. Zuko doesn't know how they would've survived it if they hadn't stumbled upon this abandoned house. Unfortunately, even the one room place is not enough space for the two benders, but at least for now he doesn't have to speak to her. The only sound coming from either of them is the soft crunching of teeth against the fish Katara captured that day. His pride would be wounded if he isn't too hungry to properly care. After a while, he watches as Katara sets her discarded meal on the ground and begins to stretch out her limbs. Another wildly unwelcomed thought enters his mind then, and he quietly wonders if she is as soft to touch as she looks.

Of course that won't do. Zuko can't think like that about his enemy – and so he races through his own dinner before throwing it into the flames just to distract himself from the thought. He feels her watching him though and that doesn't seem to help him at all.

"Can you stop that?" he snaps.

"Stop what?"

"Staring at me." Zuko leaves the kindling alone long enough to look up at her. "It's annoying."

She narrows her eyes and grounds her teeth together. "Where else am I supposed to look?"

"Anywhere else, alright? Just stop it."

Katara makes an irritated noise before she throws her own meal into the flames and turns over so her back is to him. She curls up tightly around herself and uses her arm as a pillow. Zuko grunts with equal amounts of irritation and mirrors her, facing the opposite way. Together in silence, they listen to the wind rattling the windows as rain pounds heavily down on the house. If she wanted to kill him, she could right now. She's surrounded by her element and he is without the sun to draw power from. Zuko can be easily at her mercy in moments, but as he glances over his shoulder at the waterbender, he notices that she's already fast asleep. He sighs and rubs his face wearily.

Of all the people he could be stuck with, it has to be her, doesn't it? The universe has a devious sense of humour.

Zuko tries to fall to sleep but the fire begins to die out. No amount of his bending can keep it alive when there are barely any logs for him to light on fire. The storm is in full swing now, angrily thrashing through the woods outside. Even if there is dry wood there, Zuko isn't stupid enough to wander blindly through a storm when his bending would be of no use to him, so for the night, they are left without much option. He has his body heat at least to keep warm, and surely the waterbender is used to the cold being that she's from the South Pole. They'll survive. Perhaps a little uncomfortably but it's not the worse condition he's ever slept through.

He is seconds from sleep when he hears her. At first, Zuko wonders if there's a small animal caught outside somewhere but the soft whimpering is definitely coming from the waterbender. He turns his body fully so he can look at her. She seems to still be asleep but she's shivering so forcefully that her whole body is shaking. Every few seconds, she lets out a soft whimper and curls into herself as if she can contain her body heat better that way. Zuko deliberates for a full second but finally, he strips off his tunic, flinching as the cold air hits him, and crawls over to drape it across her body. Katara instantly grabs hold of the cloth and wraps it tightly around herself, nuzzling into the collar of his tunic. Something about that keeps him rooted to the spot. His heart thuds loudly in his chest and Zuko shuffles closer towards the waterbender. He leaves a foot in between them before he lies down and angles his body so it's curving where she curves, allowing his natural warmth to radiate towards her.

Just as Zuko is about to fall asleep, he becomes aware of her body scooting back towards him until her back is to his chest, and just before darkness fully engulfs him, he carefully wraps an arm around her waist, burying his face against the soft curls of her hair.

He can regret this in the morning.


	5. Distance

**A/N:** This is a continuation of Chapter 2: Eve and Chapter 3: A New Year.

Prompt: Distance

Enjoy! x

* * *

They aren't dating. In fact, they aren't even speaking.

Katara should have known better. One brief passionate kiss on a balcony hardly meant they were going to end up together – yet she had still hoped, still yearned deep into the night that he would sail to the South Pole to beg for her back. He never came though, and the days quickly turned to months as Katara found a bitter sort of acceptance that he didn't love her anymore. The only thing left to do is move on. Maybe in a few years, Katara would be over the young Fire Lord. Maybe then, she could fall in love with someone more attainable, someone less confusing and infuriating.

Only she has spent nearly three years in love with the man. All efforts at trying to get over him had been pointless. Now that she knows what his lips taste like or how his body feels against hers, how could Katara ever hope to move on?

It's impossible. It's absurd. It's –

"Master Katara?"

Her eyes snap to her right and she blushes furiously when she realises she hasn't been paying attention to a single thing the council has been saying. Katara bows her head in remorse. "I must apologise. I am simply not feeling… like myself today."

Chief Arnook nods in understanding and concern. "That is most unfortunate. Why don't we adjourn for the day? We can reconvene tomorrow and talk about the logistics of this centre then. It has been a long journey and I am sure my men are most eager to eat and rest."

"Of course," Katara says, and as the entire council stands, she dutifully falls in line behind her father and Sokka when they exit the tent.

The wind curls deeply around her, nipping at any exposed skin it can find, as soon as the tent door flaps shut behind her. It has been months since the New Year's party, and although it is July, the frigid temperature seems determined to stay. This isn't abnormal for the South Pole but it is the coldest summer anyone has faced in a long time. Katara wraps her parka tightly around her body and heads for the cluster of tents in the back where the women are cooking. Although her reputation as a master waterbender has helped open doors for other female waterbenders, deep-rooted tradition and culture is hard to uproot. Most non-bending women are still expected to cook, clean and care for the house as the men deal with everything else. Katara is determined to change that, but she also knows patience is key here.

The walk is thankfully quiet but harder to do against the biting winds. Her braid whips against her face as she tries to trudge on, but when Katara steps on a thin sheen of ice, she loses her footing and nearly goes crashing into the snow. She is saved when a rough hand grabs her forearm and steadies her. Tanned skin and bright crystal blue eyes meet her own as she rights herself back up.

"Are you alright?"

"Um…" Katara breathes out. Every man in the Southern Water Tribe is older than her and usually _much_ older than her. The only one even remotely close to her age is Sokka and he's her brother. This man staring back at her is certainly not her brother and certainly not middle-aged. "I'm fine. I'm… okay. Thank you."

"No need to thank me," he says with a booming chuckle. "I couldn't let the legendary Master Katara fall flat on her face. I'd be kicked out of the tribe if I let that happen!"

She chuckles, blushing at his words and hating herself for being so susceptible to a handsome man's compliment. "I'm not legendary."

"You beat the Fire Princess _and_ you helped the Avatar save the world. I think that's pretty legendary," he tells her seriously, but there's a twinkle in his eyes that suggests he's flirting with her. Now _that_ is definitely something she's not used to. At least not in recent years.

"I… Um, who are you?"

"Oh, where are my manners! I'm Shodo. I came with Chief Arnook," he says brightly, and offers her his hand.

Katara shakes it and nods. "I see. You're here to help build the waterbending centre? That must mean you're a waterbender too."

"Yes, but I'm sure I'm not quite as good as you are, Master Katara," Shodo says with a slight bow but the twinkling is still there and she's beginning to realise these compliments are only there to stroke her ego.

"You wouldn't be here with Chief Arnook if you weren't good, Shodo," Katara says evenly. She may not be used to flirting but she knows better than to fall for false compliments. Besides, Shodo is much too narrow for her taste. Now that she's really looking, his nose is also too round and his jaw is too wide. He's not that handsome after all. Definitely not her type.

"I can't _possibly_ compare to the beautiful –"

Thankfully his words are cut short as shouts are heard from further in the village. Katara doesn't spare a glance for Shodo before she starts racing towards the noise. The alarm hasn't been raised so that's a good sign, but there's still fear and panic in the eyes of her people, so Katara bends a thin sliver of water to her side just in case.

As she reaches the water's edge, Katara sees the Fire Nation vessel and skids to a stop. Shodo, who has been running right behind her, stumbles into her back until they're both sprawled on the snow. Her cheek is resting against the cold ground as she's kept down by the weight of Shodo on top of her. She tries to move but he's too heavy. Katara _could_ fling him off with a simple flick of her wrist but that wouldn't do for the relations between the North and the South.

"Uh, Shodo? Can you please get off of me?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry! Okay, here, let me just…"

Katara feels him shift his body but then he slips and tumbles back on top of her. " _Shodo_!"

"Sorry, Katara. It's slippery!"

A pair of black curled toe boots come into view from where she's lying. Someone coughs roughly before Shodo is being yanked off of her and thrown several feet away. She can tell by the way the snow crunches under his weight and also by the loud yelp of pain as he lands with a thud.

Once back on her feet, Katara glances towards her saviour, ready to thank him, when she jumps away in surprise. "Zuko! What are –"

"Can we talk in private?" he asks, cutting her off.

For a second, all Katara can do is stare. He seems older than when she last saw him. The aristocratic slope of his nose seems more pronounced, his jaw more angular, and that's when she realises how _gaunt_ he looks. Zuko has lost weight. Even his broad shoulders have slimmed in the past few months. The urge to rest a hand to his scarred cheek and comfort him is overwhelming, but the pained look in his eyes is enough to stop her. Instead, Katara rests both of her hands on either hip and scowls. "Why? So you can kiss me again and leave without a word for seven months? _Seven months_ , Zuko!"

He rubs his face and looks down. "I know. I'm sorry, Katara. I really am but I can explain."

"Is that why you're here? To explain yourself? You know a letter works just as well!"

"Please, Katara, just let me –"

"No, you had seven months to explain yourself! You could've written. You could've done anything but you let me sit here thinking – well, you know what? It's too late, Zuko!"

By now, they have gathered quite a crowd and Katara is distantly aware that her father and brother are also somewhere in this crowd. She doesn't care anymore though. She's too hurt, too _angry_ to bother with keeping quiet.

"You're lying," Zuko points out, as his eyes flicker back to hers. "You still love me."

"How dare you!" she shouts, incensed by the sheer arrogance of him – even if he is right. "I don't and I regret ever thinking I was!"

Zuko smirks and takes a step forward. Katara instinctively steps back. This only makes him smirk even wider. "Why don't I believe you?"

"I don't _care_ if you don't believe me. That's the truth."

"Katara," he says as he inches closer. "Do you know how hard it was for me not to jump into that boat with you? Not to commandeer my fastest ship and sail after you?"

"Why didn't you?" she snaps.

"Because we found another rebel faction," Zuko explains. "And then I had to go to Ba Sing Se to talk with King Kuei about reparations. Then I had to oversee the creation of another factory mill. Then I had to attend council meetings." He inhales deeply and shakes his head. "There is so much that comes with being Fire Lord. There is never a moment to myself. I was sleeping three, four hours a night, Katara. I shouldn't have been able to function as I did. But I suppose I didn't.

On a routine checkup around one of the poorer districts in the Fire Nation, we were attacked and I was so tired I didn't see him coming. He had me pinned down in seconds, a knife in my stomach. And as I laid there, bleeding out onto the street, you know what I was thinking?"

When Katara doesn't respond, Zuko continues with a rueful smile.

"I was thinking about how I should have just gone after you. How it didn't _matter_ if I made the Fire Nation the most successful nation in the world. At the end of the day, no matter how much I love my country and my people, I love _you_ more."

There's a muffled sniffle from behind Katara but she's too focused on Zuko to really notice. It's the most she's ever heard him speak without addressing a room full of diplomats. It's the most _sincere_ she's ever seen him. It's made it hard for her to stay angry. She was so determined to finally push him out of her life once and for all, but Katara should've known that she would never have been able to do that. Zuko is as much apart of her as she is apart of him.

"Zuko, I –"

"Oh, kiss him, Katara! If you don't, I will!"

Zuko's face flushes a bright red, his eyes going comically wide.

"Sokka, _shut up_!"

But she doesn't need to be told twice. In one quick move, Katara has her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her lips pressed up against his. She pours every roll and swell of her emotions into the kiss and delighting when she feels Zuko reciprocate it in every way. When they finally break apart, Katara notices they are suddenly alone.

"I guess we grossed them out," she says, blushing.

Zuko touches her cheek with a gentle stroke of his finger. "Nothing gross about what we just did."

"Probably gross for Sokka though. And my dad!"

"Katara, can we not talk about your family while I'm thinking about all the ways I want to kiss you?" he asks with a roll of his eyes. "It's really distracting."

She blushes again. "Okay, um... what other ways do you want kiss me?"

Zuko smirks, and this time, she feels only desire curl in the pit of her stomach instead of anger. "How about you accept my job offer and I'll show you?"

"What offer?" Katara asks, pulling back slightly from his embrace to look at him. "What kind of job?"

"Come back to the Fire Nation with me. Be an ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe," Zuko says carefully, golden eyes studying her for her reaction. "Be my trusted advisor."

"Zuko, you're asking me to leave my _home_. My people."

"I know it's a lot to ask," Zuko acknowledges with a sigh. "But for nearly three years, I've wandered around wondering why nothing feels quite right when everything I have ever wanted has happened. I had my honour back, I had friends, I had Mai back, but none of it mattered somehow."

"Because you still couldn't help feeling something was missing," Katara finishes for him. She knows the feeling all too well.

"Yes," he nods. "I don't want to be without you again. I need you."

The answer is on the tip of her tongue. It's what she wants. It's what she's wanted for nearly three years but could she really do it? Could she really leave her home behind for a man? That's not like her.

"It's a job offer, Katara," Zuko reminds her again. "I'm not just asking because _I_ need you. The Fire Nation needs you too. You've done more for us than most of my advisors combined. You know how to talk to people. You wouldn't be going just for me. And think of all you could do for the Southern Water Tribe there too."

"November."

"What?"

"I need four months to help finish building the waterbending centre and get everything settled with the new teachers," Katara says to him firmly. " _Four months_."

"Does that mean…"

"I love you, don't I?" Katara rolls her eyes before she's throwing herself back into his arms, kissing him as fiercely as she did before. "I'm going wherever you're going, Fire Lord."

"Good," Zuko says between kisses. "Because I love you too."


	6. Snowflakes

Ten years of diplomatic visits and Zuko still hated the snow. It was cold and wet, and it made his bones ache beneath his heavy parka. For the life of him, he could not understand its appeal. The white powder that glistened across the South Pole was nothing more than a nuisance to the Fire Lord. He would burn it all down if it wouldn't cause an international incident – and incur the wrath of his heavily pregnant wife. Katara was intimidating enough as she was but add to that a concoction of pregnancy hormones and unpredictable mood swings and she was terrifying. Even the Fire Sages bent to her will to avoid a confrontation with the Fire Lady. They had learned their lesson during the pregnancy of Princess Kya when they made the mistake of suggesting sea prunes might not be a wise addition to her diet. Katara had subsequently frozen them to the wall and stormed out.

As Zuko stepped down onto the snow, it crunched noisily beneath his boots. A furrow grew between his brows. _How did these people hunt if the snow gave them away so easily?_ He remembered his own disastrous attempt to hunt a polar bear dog. He had nearly burnt down an entire glacier instead, and after, Sokka and Chief Hakoda decided he'd be better off hunting arctic hens to prove his worth as a suitable husband for Katara. That hadn't been an easy week. Not only was being away from Katara for that long excruciating, being away from her to be stuck with her brother and her father was even worse. Still, Zuko hadn't managed to kill Sokka so he had considered the whole trip a success, even if it hadn't helped endear him to the snow in any way. In fact, Zuko might say it made him hate it even more.

Katara followed down after him. He turned for a moment and watched as his wife's cheek turned pink from the cold. The setting sun framed her in its golden glow. She was five months into her pregnancy and before long she wouldn't be able to travel to the South Pole anymore. Zuko hated the snow but he loved Katara more. He'd live in an igloo if it made her happy.

But at that moment, his focus wasn't on his wife at all. It was on the three-year-old princess who broke free of her mother's grasp and ran down the ramp. She raced towards him with wobbly feet and hurled herself at his waist. Zuko groaned at the assault. "Oof! Kya..." He started to warn her but the little girl looked up at him with wide blue eyes, her cheeks and nose pinker than her mother's, and he melted. It would not do well for the Fire Lord to appear so soft in public but everyone in the Fire Nation knew that the Fire Princess had him wrapped around her little fingers.

"There's my little niece!"

With the agility of a tiger monkey, Kya let go of Zuko's waist and sprinted across the snow into Sokka's waiting arms. The man picked her up and swung her around much to her delight. Half a second later, Katara joined Zuko and slipped her hand into his. He smiled down at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before returning his gaze back to his daughter. If her uncle dropped her, Zuko would not be opposed to using the man's own boomerang to smack him upside the head.

It was at that moment little flurries of snow began to fall from the sky. It had never snowed for Kya in her three years of visiting the South Pole and the sudden white snowflakes delighted her into fits of laughter. She twisted and turned so that Sokka would put her back down on the ground. Once her feet landed with a soft crunch, Kya twirled and twirled, her mouth opening up wide to try and catch the snowflakes on her tongue.

Her giggles rang out across the grounds, and Zuko decided that maybe he didn't hate the snow after all.


End file.
